The present invention relates to a knitting method of knitting a neckline of knitwear, such as a sweater and a cardigan, and to the knitwear knitted in the knitting method.
The applicant previously proposed in Japanese Laid-open (Unexamined) Patent Publication No. Hei 4-214448 a knitting method of knitting a knitted fabric by using a flat knitting machine wherein a neckline in a front body is widened and also a front drop is formed in the neckline. In this knitting method, the front body is so knitted as to be forked from a starting point for forming the neckline into a right front body and a left front body which confront each other across the neckline. In the process of the knitting, widening stitches are formed around a margin of the neckline and also the stitches of the right front body and left front body are shifted to the outside, respectively. This knitting is repeated to knit the front body from the right and left front bodies up to their shoulder portion. As a result of the neckline being formed in this manner, the number of wale of the neckline is increased and, as a result of this, not only a collar knitted subsequent thereto is widened but also the front drop is automatically formed in the neckline. When the front body thus knitted is used to produce a sweater, the knitwear comes to be fancy and stylish and so comfortable to wear that when wearing, one""s head can smoothly pass through the neckline.
The method of the publication cited above is directed to a knitting technology for knitting the front body singularly as a part, not to the so-called xe2x80x9cseamless knitxe2x80x9d that is the knitting technology in which the front body and the back body are joined at each knitting-widthwise end, to knit them into a tubular form and also are joined at their shoulder portions in the process of knitting by using the flat knitting machine, whereby knitwear, such as a vest and a sweater, is completed.
The xe2x80x9cseamless knitxe2x80x9d is the knitting technology for simplifying or omitting the sewing operation after the knitting process. The applicant has proposed in many applications a variety of knitting technologies on and in connection with the seamless knit so far, including Japanese Laid-open (Unexamined) Patent Publications No. Hei 2(1990)-91254, Hei 2(1990)-229248, Hei 4(1992)-209855 and Hei 4(1992)-153346.
In the seamless knit using a two-bed flat knitting machine, for examples, odd needles on the needle beds are used for a front part of a knitted fabric, such as a front body and front sleeve parts; even needles are used for a back part of the knitted fabric; and alternate needles on the front and back needle beds are used for the seamless knit. When the front part of the knitted fabric is knitted, the back part of the knitted fabric is retained on (associated with) the back needle bed. On the other hand, when the back part of the knitted fabric is knitted, the front part of the knitted fabric is associated with the front needle bed. Thus, the respective fabrics are knitted, with the front and back parts overlapping each other. As a result of this, the empty needles for transference can always be reserved for the respective parts of the knitted fabric on the opposed needle beds. Using the empty needles enables the knitting of the structure pattern, such as links, garter and rib, in which front stitches and back stitches are mixed, and also enables the stitches of the sleeves and bodies to be shifted laterally so as to be joined to each other. In contrast to this, in the seamless knit using a four-bed flat knitting machine, for example, the needles on the lower front needle bed and the upper back needle bed are used to knit the front part of the knitted fabric, and the needles on the lower back needle bed and the needles on the upper front needle bed are used to knit the back part of the knitted fabric. In the seamless knit using the four-bed flat knitting machine, when the front part of the knitted fabric is knitted, the back part of the knitted fabric is associated with the lower back needle bed. On the other hand, when the back part of the knitted fabric is knitted, the front part of the knitted fabric is associated with the lower front needle bed. As a result of this, the seamless knit using the four-bed flat knitting machine does not have the limitation that the alternate needles are used for the seamless knit, as in the seamless knit using the two-bed flat knitting machine. The seamless knit can be performed by using a flat knitting machine of a transfer jack bed type wherein transfer jacks are arranged in line over either or both of the front and back needle beds of the two-bed flat knitting machine.
On the other hand, the stitch loop holding technique disclosed by Japanese Laid-open (Unexamined) Patent Publication No. Hei 11(1999)-43849, which is called xe2x80x9cholding techniquexe2x80x9d, is applicable to the seamless knit. The terminology, xe2x80x9choldingxe2x80x9d, means the stitch loop holding technique using a kind of compound needle, which is called xe2x80x9cslide needlexe2x80x9d, comprising a needle body and a slider which is formed by combining two thin metal sheets and has a tongue at a front end portion thereof. In the holding technique, the stitch as was originally retained on the hook of the needle body is held on the needle and also an additional stitch is received and held on the tongue of the slider, so that those two different stitches are separately held on the same needle. Reference is made to the publication mentioned above about the details of xe2x80x9cthe holdingxe2x80x9d. Using this holding technique enables the needle to which the stitch is transferred to be used as the empty needle. If this holding technique is used to transfer the stitches back to the original empty needles after the knitting is adequately performed, even the two-bed flat knitting machine can knit the knitwear seamlessly with all needles, without any need for previous reservation of the empty needles for the transference of stitches.
However, the application of the knitting method of Japanese Laid-open (Unexamined) Patent Publication No. Hei 4(1992)-21448 previously cited to the knitwear to be knitted seamlessly is not easy when the knitwear is wanted to widen the neckline width and also form the front drop in the neckline portion. For example, when the knitwear is knitted in the form of a vest, consideration must be taken of not only the front body but also the relation with the back body which is integrally knitted in parallel with the front body to confront it. Further, in knitting a sweater, a cardigan or the like, since the sleeves are laid at each side of the bodies, further consideration must be taken, including the horizontal and vertical positions of those parts and the way of forming the neckline in the front body and of being integrally knitted with the other parts while transferring the neckline to the outside, thus requiring further complicated consideration and calculation.
It is the object of the present invention to provide a knitting method of knitting knitwear, such as sweater, by using the seamless knit mentioned above and of knitting the neckline of the knitwear.
The present invention provides a method of knitting knitwear comprising a front part having a front body and sleeves and a back part having a back body and sleeves by using a flat knitting machine comprising at least a pair of front and back needle beds, which are extended laterally and confront each other in back and front and at least either of which can be racked laterally to transfer stitches between the needles beds, wherein the knitwear is knitted in the condition that the front part of the knitwear is associated with the first needle bed and the back part of the knitwear is associated with the second needle bed, so that the body and sleeves of the front part and the body and sleeves of the back part are joined at both knitting-widthwise ends, so as to be knitted in the form of a tubular body and wherein while the bodies and the sleeves are knitted up to underarms of the knitwear and then are joined from the underarms to shoulders so as to be knitted into a tubular form, stitches of the both sleeves are shifted toward the bodies and are laid over stitches of the bodies in sequence so that the tubular body can gradually decreased in diameter and a neckline formed in the front body is formed in the following steps:
1) the step that the knitting that the front body forming the front part of the tubular body is knitted to be forked into a right front body and a left front body; widening stitch is formed around a margin of the neckline of the front body in the process of knitting the right front body and the left front body; stitch of the right front body and stitch of the left front body are shifted in a direction of being away from the neckline; and the stitches in the region around the margin of the neckline are sequentially slipped from the knitting to be put into inoperative positions is repeated a predetermined number of times, so as to widen the neckline of the front body; and
2) the step that when either of right-side and left-side of the front part is knitted in the step 1, the course knitting is performed in the condition that the stitch of the other side of the front part at a knitting-widthwise side end thereof is fed to the second needle bed, while on the other hand, when the other side of the front part is knitted, the course knitting is performed in the condition that the stitch of the one side of the front part at a knitting-widthwise side end thereof is fed to the second needle bed and also the stitch of the other side of the front part that was fed to the second needle bed is fed back to the first needle bed, so that even when the widening stitch causes the front part to be larger in knitting width than the back part, stitch is increased around a margin of the neckline formed in, the front body of the tubular body, while balancing the number of stitches of the knitted fabric retained on the front needle bed and the number of stitches of the knitted fabric retained on the back needle bed.
It is preferable that the knitwear knitted is a sweater of a set-in type and the stitches of the front body are fed to the second needle bed.
It is particularly preferable that the knitwear is a sweater of a set-in type having such a design that a joint portion of the front body to the back body is located in the back body beyond a shoulder line, and that when the front body is knitted to form the neckline up to the shoulder line, the front body is knitted, with widening stitch formed around the margin of the neckline of the front body, and is shifted to and joined to the front sleeve part and, thereafter, when a part of the front body extending over the shoulder line toward the back body is knitted, the part of the front body is knitted, with the widening stitch continuously formed around the margin of the neckline, and is shifted to and joined to the back sleeve part.
Particularly, the knitting method mentioned above comprises the following steps:
(1) the step that when the neckline is formed, stitch of the back sleeve part of one of the sleeves is transferred to the first needle bed and also stitch of the front sleeve part of the other sleeve is transferred to the back needle bed;
(2) the step that the front body adjacent to the sleeve as was shifted to the first needle bed in the step 1 is knitted to form one of the front necklines and the front body is sequentially shifted toward the adjacent sleeve during the formation of the neckline;
(3) the step that the stitch of the other sleeve retained on the second needle bed is shifted to the first needle bed and the stitch of the front body at a side end thereof on the side on which the neckline was formed is fed to the back needle bed; and
(4) the step that the front body adjacent to the other sleeve shifted to the first needle bed in the step (3) is knitted to form the neckline, and the front body thus knitted is sequentially shifted to and joined to the adjacent sleeve during the formation of the neckline.
Also, it is preferable that the knitwear is a sweater of a raglan type and stitches of the sleeves are sequentially fed to the second needle bed.
It is particularly preferable that the neckline is formed in the process of repeatedly knitting shuttlewise between a left front body, a left sleeve, a back body, a right sleeve and a right front body, that when the front body is knitted, the stitch is increased around the margin of the neckline and also the front body and the adjacent front sleeve part are both shifted to outside, and that following steps are taken to widen a left part of the neckline:
a) the step of racking the second needle bed leftwards; and
b) the step of feeding the stitch of the left front sleeve to the second needle bed; and
c) the step of feeding the stitch of the right front sleeve back to the first needle bed,
and wherein the following steps are taken to widen a right part of the neckline:
d) the step of racking the second needle bed rightwards;
e) the step of feeding stitch of the right front sleeve to the second needle bed; and
f) the step of feeding the stitch of the left front sleeve back to the first needle bed.
The present invention provides seamless knitwear with sleeves whose front and back bodies and front and back sleeve parts are joined at each knitting-widthwise end thereof so that they are knitted into a tubular body and also the sleeves and the bodies are joined from underarms to shoulders are knitted by using a flat knitting machine, wherein a front neckline formed in the front body is formed to have a front drop by performing a widening-stitch knitting and a flechage knitting, and also is formed to have more number of stitches than the back neckline.
Operation of the present invention will be described below.
While the bodies and the both sleeves are knitted up to underarms of the knitwear and then are joined from the underarms to shoulders so as to be knitted into a tubular form, stitches of the both sleeves are shifted toward the bodies and are laid over stitches of the bodies in sequence so that the tubular body can gradually decreased in diameter. In parallel with this knitting process, the front body is forked into the right front body and the left front body, so that the front neckline is formed in therebetween. The front neckline is increased in the number of wale forming the neckline in such a manner that widening stitch is formed around the margin of the front neckline and also stitch of the right front body and stitch of the left front body are shifted in a direction of being away from the neckline. As a result of this, the width of the collar subsequently knitted can be widened. Also, when the stitch of the right front body and the stitch of the left front body are shifted in the direction of being away from the neckline, the widening stitch is formed around the margin of the neckline. As a result of this, no hole is provided at the joint of the neckline. Also, in parallel with the knitting mentioned above, the knitting that the stitches in the region around the margin of the neckline are sequentially put into inoperative positions is repeated a predetermined number of times. As a result of this, the front drop is automatically formed in the neckline.
Further, the front part in which the neckline was increased in number of stitches is sequentially fed from a stitch situated at the outside of the sleeve or body to the second needle bed, to prevent difference in number of stitches between the front part of the knitted fabric retained on the first needle bed and the back part of the knitted fabric retained on the second needle bed, so as to balance the number of stitches of the fabric retained on the front needle bed and the number of stitches of the fabric retained on the back needle bed. Thus, the stitches in the boundary therebetween are kept in the positions close to each other, without being away from each other. As a result of this, the tubular body can be knitted without occurrence of yarn rupture.
In the case that the knitwear is a sweater of a set-in type, the stitch of the front body is fed to the second needle bed. It should be noted here that the stitch of the front body include the stitch of the neckline formed in the front body, the stitch of the front body adjacent to the neckline, and the stitch of both of them. As a result of the stitch of the front body being fed to the back needle bed in this manner, the front and back parts can be made to have a uniform knitting width before the knitting of the collar and, as a result of this, the fabric can be knitted in tubular form at the collar without any difficulty.
In the case of a sweater of a set-in type having such a design that the joint portion of the front body to the back body is located in the back body beyond the shoulder line, in particular, the course knitting of the front body only is performed in the first half in which the knitting width of the neckline to the shoulder line is increased. In the first half, widening stitch is formed around the margin of the neckline of the front body and also the front body is shifted to and joined to the front sleeve part. Then, in the second half in which a part of the front body is extended over the shoulder line toward the back body, the widening stitch is continuously formed around the margin of the neckline and also the front body is shifted to and joined to the back sleeve part.
Specifically, when the neckline is formed, the stitch of the back sleeve part of one of the sleeves is shifted to the first needle bed and also the stitch of the front sleeve part of the other sleeve is fed to the back needle bed, so that the stitches in the boundary of the knitted fabrics of the tubular body retained on the front and back needle beds are prevented from being away from each other to a large extent. Then, while the front body adjacent to the sleeve as was shifted to the first needle bed is knitted in this state, one of the front necklines is formed and also the front body is joined to the sleeve adjacent to the front body. Then, as is the case with the above, the stitch of the other sleeve retained on the second needle bed is shifted to the first needle bed, so that the stitches in the boundary of the knitted fabrics retained on the front and back needle beds are prevented from being away from each other to a large extent, while also, the stitch of the front body at a side end thereof on the side on which the neckline was formed is fed to the back needle bed, so that the forming of the other neckline and the joining of the front body and the sleeve are simultaneously performed. As a result of the stitch of the sleeve on the side on which the neckline is formed being shifted to the front needle bed in this manner, the front body can be kept in its fixed state on the front needle bed, thus facilitating the course knitting of the front body.
In the case that the knitwear is a sweater of a raglan type, stitches of the sleeves are sequentially fed to the second needle bed to balance the front and back parts of the tubular body. Specifically, the neckline is formed in the process of knitting shuttlewise between a left front body, a left sleeve, a back body, a right sleeve and a right front body. When the front body is knitted, the stitch is increased around the margin of the neckline and also the front body and the adjacent front sleeve part are both shifted to the outside. When the left part and the right part of the neckline formed in the front body retained on the first needle bed are alternately widened, the following steps are taken. When the left part of the neckline is widened: after the second needle bed is racked leftwards, the stitch of the left front sleeve is fed to the second needle bed and the stitch of the right front sleeve is fed back to the first needle bed. On the other hand, when the right part of the neckline is widened: after the second needle bed is racked rightwards, the stitch of the right front sleeve is fed to the second needle bed and the stitch of the left front sleeve is fed back to the first needle bed. As a result of this, the stitches in the boundary can be kept in the positions close to each other, without being away from each other between the front and back needle beds. As a result of this, the neckline can be knitted while keeping the tubular body.
In addition, in the knitwear of the present invention, since the front neckline formed in the front body is increased in number of wale by the widening-stitch knitting and also the front drop is formed by the flechage knitting, the collar knitted continuously to the front neckline can be formed to have a wider collar than the usual collar, thus producing the knitwear of stylish and so comfortable to wear that when wearing, one""s head can smoothly pass through the neckline.